Dragon Tales: The Meaning Of Magic
by RyantheExtreme29
Summary: Set between seasons 2 and 3 of "Dragon Tales." When a wicked sorceress named Maligna hatches an evil plan to remake Dragonland in her own "grimm" image, Max & Emmy and their friends must travel across the realm to locate a relic that can save Dragonland. Along the way, they learn the true importance of teamwork and friendship in times of trouble. Rated T for Teen, just in case...
1. Prologue: A Powerful Villain Emerges

**Prologue: A Powerful Villain Is Unleashed...**

Cyrus the Slinky Serpent wandered through the caverns beneath Dragonland's environment.

How did he get here? Well, he was wandering through the Forest of Darkness early that morning, and the sun hadn't even risen yet. Therefore, the place was even darker than before, so it was hard to see anything. He stumbled through the brushes, looking for something, _anything_ , to eat. And looking worse for wear; his red bowtie was tattered and his olive-green body was covered in mud splotches.

It was nearly three weeks since the incident with that annoying human brat Emmy's detective kit, three weeks since he failed to obtain the dragon-gull eggs, and he has been scrounging for scraps ever since. Oh, how he hated those two children and their fire-breathing friends. He wanted nothing better than to take revenge on them for constantly foiling his 'egg-hunts.' Too bad Dragonland's code of rules prevented him from so much as even hitting those pests (The first rule of the realm was that you cannot hit anyone).

 _Wretched children, wretched dragons,_ Cyrus thought to himself, _always getting in my way. If it wasn't for Dragonland's way of life, I'd gladly teach those brats a lesson. If only someone changed the rules and gave me a chance..._

He was fuming so hard that he didn't notice the large knuckerhole in the ground ahead...until he tripped into it and tumbled down to the cave below.

 _THUD!_

He hit the floor hard, and lay disoriented for a few minutes. He slowly got back up to his feet, and let his eyes adjust to the darkness of the cavern. There was clearly a pathway ahead of him, so it at least gave him a way to go. So he slithered onwards, hoping so find his way out...and maybe pluck a few swallow eggs from their underground nests.

And thus, we come to now.

* * *

After a while of spelunking, he was still no closer to getting out of there. The caverns were twisty and windy, Cyrus could tell that much. And so far, there hasn't been any sign of an exit.

Eventually, however, there was a crack of light up ahead. Cyrus crept up to it, hoping it was the way out...and at that moment, he found himself a massive underground chamber.

It certainly wasn't the Dragonland Treasure Vault (otherwise he would've first found the magic door guarding it), but it sure looked like it was meant to hold something. In fact, it looked like a giant burial dungeon. Torches lit every wall, the floor was a stone terrace, and at the other end of the room, there was a giant sculpture of a viper's head emblazoned on the wall (Looks like me, Cyrus vainly thought). And beneath that, a large crystal coffin.

"Ooh, fascinating," Cyrus said to himself. It was a human-sized casket, carved entirely of emerald. There was also a strange glow pulsating within it, but the slinky serpent didn't notice this at first. He approached the coffin, hoping there were valuable items inside. Then he picked the lock with his tail and opened it wide...

Then there was an explosion.

It rocked the chamber with such force that it blew Cyrus back several feet. When he came to his senses, he could see a bright magic aura swirling around the opened coffin, which shone with a green light. He couldn't tell at first, but when he squinted his eyes, Cyrus could make out the silhouette of a woman within the light.

Stretching her body as if waking from a long sleep, she spoke in a bold, commanding voice. "At long last, I am free! Free from that cursed casket!" That's when she opened her eyes, and locked their gaze upon Cyrus.

"You there," she spoke again, pointing at the slinky serpent, "are you the one?"

Cyrus quivered, "Am I... what?"

"Are you the one who opened the coffin?" she clarified.

"Y-yes, I am..."

"Then approach," she ordered, stepping into the single ray of light that shined into the chamber.

If Cyrus had known what a vampire was, he would've thought this woman was one of them. Garbed in a royal purple gown, she had pale skin and a pointy ears. And with long black hair that floated and rippled above her head like billowing smoke, she gave off the 'villain' vibe quite well. Reluctantly, the serpent approached the woman shakily until he was close enough to kiss her hand if she wanted him to.

"Kneel," she commanded. Cyrus got on one knee, and lowered his head.

"I can sense your...rather conniving personality simply by looking in your eyes" the woman stated, "I have use for creatures like you."

"But I'm just a slinky serpent down on his luck! Woudn't you rather-"

"SILENCE!" she thundered, "Do NOT speak back when you address _Maligna!"_

Maligna? Cyrus heard the name before. It was from the legend of an evil sorceress who attempted to take over Dragonland, but was defeated and sealed away over a hundred years ago. This was her? For real, her? Had he just set loose a character he thought was a myth? Cyrus decided to play along. _Maybe this is the chance I've been looking for_ , he thought.

He lowered his head obediently, "Apologies, madam-"

"Mistress, if you please."

"O-oh, why yes, mistress," Cyrus corrected himself.

"Judging by the recognition in your eyes at the mention of my name, it's good to know I haven't been forgotten," said she, "Come, we have work to do."

With that, the being called Maligna raised the object in her hand, a magic wand made of crooked bone, high over her head. A vortex of sickly green sparks erupted from it's tip, and then there was a whooshing sound, which began to grow in volume.

The sorceress cackled madly, while Cyrus looked on in awe...


	2. Chapter 1: A New Day, A New Adventure

**Chapter 1: A New Day, A New Adventure...**

It was a bright and sunny morning. Summer had just started, and all the children had gotten out of school one week prior.

Siblings Emmy and Max in particular were enjoying themselves. Their parents have given them the next seven days to enjoy themselves as a reward for their good behavior, and they couldn't be happier about it.

They're routine for such days was to play and color, then pay a visit to their dragon friends in Dragonland. There, they'd have some adventures and learn some life lessons, before coming home for the day.

Little did they know that today, they were about to embark on the greatest adventure of their lives.

The kids were in the playroom as usual, with Max playing with his toy cars and Emmy reading her 'book of dragons' at the table.

Just then, the a magic glow came from the secret drawer underneath the window. Emmy was the first to notice.

"Hey Max," she said, hoping to get her little brother's attention.

"Just a minute, Emmy," he said, "My red truck is about to win the race!"

Emmy looked over, and saw Max running his two toy vehicles in a straight line, his blue car in his left hand, and his red truck in his right hand. Emmy put her foot down.

"Sorry Max, but the dragons are calling us," she said, "Look!"

Max finally stopped playing, and looked at the drawer. He finally noticed the shimmering glow coming from the drawer.

"Wow! Let's go!" Max said.

He rushed over with Emmy to open the drawer. Emmy pulled out the dragon-emblem chest, and opened it to reveal their favorite possession: their enchanted dragon scale! They held it together, and spoke the rhyme they said many times before...

" _I wish, I wish, with all my heart, to fly with dragons, in a land apart."_

With that, the dragon tapestry on the far wall came to life, and the dragon pictures encircled the children, who then disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the enchanted realm of Dragonland, two dragons, one large & blue and the other smaller & pink, were sitting by a tree, looking around for someone to show up.

"I hope Max and Emmy get here soon" said the blue dragon.

"I know, Ord," said the pink dragon, "It's been five minutes, and I don't see a sign of them."

"Wait," said Ord, "I see something, Cassie!"

He pointed in one direction. Sure enough, about twenty-five yards away from the tree, there was a cloud of magic dust swirling around in a vortex. A flash of light later, and Max & Emmy stood in it's place.

"Emmy!"

"Max!"

Cassie and Ord called out to them respectively, and rushed over to greet their human friends. Ord, naturally, beat Cassie to the kids, and embraced them in a crushing hug. Though Max and Emmy were somewhat used to this (especially Max), they soon needed air.

"Uh...Ord," Emmy choked out, "You're...squishing us."

Ord finally noticed their faces turning blue like his scales, and gently let them go. "Oops," he giggled, "Sorry."

Cassie approached Emmy (whom she had a special bond with), and gave her a hug of her own. It was more gentle than Ord's, of course.

"Hi Emmy," she said "I'm so glad you're here. We need your help!"

"Why?" asked Emmy, "What's going on?"

Ord spoke next. "Something bad is happening in Dragonland."

"Yesterday," said Cassie, "an evil spell was cast on the forest of darkness, and it suddenly became all twisted."

"The forest became twisted?" Max asked, "What does that mean?"

"It means that the forest is now *gulp* scarier than before," said Ord, "The trees lost their leaves, the flowers & fruits are gone, and everything is gray colored!

He pinched his nose in disgust, "And the place smells really bad, too!

Emmy and Max were shocked at this, "You mean...someone cast a spell to make the forest rot away?!" asked Emmy, "Who would do such a thing!?"

"We don't know," said Cassie, "but somebody might know who's doing this."

She pulled out a note and handed it to Emmy. It read _Please come here soon, and bring Max and Emmy with you. Signed, Quetzal._ "Quetzal is calling everyone to the School in the Sky," Cassie continued, "He says he saw something important in the forest before it happened."

"Yeah," said Ord, "so let's go, everybody!"

"WAIT!"

Everyone turned to look at Max when he shouted.

"Aren't we forgetting someone?" he asked slyly.

The gang knew immediately who he was talking about. "Zak & Wheezie!" they all shouted.

"I'll get them," said Ord, rushing over to a nearby knucker-hole. He looked down in it and called out, "ZAK? WHEEZIE?"

The ground shook for a moment, and up from the hole shot out the group's resident two-headed dragon. Zak & Wheezie flew upward for a moment, then downward, and finally landed in front of the group with a loud thud.

"What's up?" they both asked in unison.

"We're going to see Quetzal," said Emmy, "are you ready to come?"

Wheezie seemed excited. The things she was wearing gave it away. She had a knight's helmet on her head, and a wooden sword in her hand.

"You BET we're ready!" she exclaimed, "It's time to find out what monster hurt our forest! An adventure awaits!" she held her sword into the air like Excalibur, "LOOOOVE IT!"

"Take it easy, Wheezie." said Zak, trying to calm his sister down, "This is serious. Besides, we're only going to hear Quetzal's thoughts about..."

" _Ahem_ "

Zak turned his head towards Cassie, as did Wheezie.

"Before you start arguing again," said Cassie, "we need to be at the school very soon."

Zak and Wheezie giggled sheepishly as everyone prepared to take off. Emmy climbed onto Cassie's back while Max did the same with Ord.

"Alright everybody," said Emmy, "Next stop, the School in the Sky!"

With that, the dragons flew into the air with the kids on their backs, and set off towards the school's location.

* * *

Elsewhere, inside a cavernous mountain lair just beyond the Forest of Darkness, the evil sorceress Maligna watched the children & their friends through a crystal ball.

"Are these the ones you told me about?" she asked Cyrus, who stood at her side.

"Yes, mistress," he clarified "Those two are Max and Emmy, the children who always ruin my egg hunts."

"Fascinating…Well, even if they are as resourceful as you claim, they have never encountered a being as powerful and evil as I!" she chuckled evilly.

"You must be so, indeed," said Cyrus, "since you DID drain all magic from the forest of Darkness."

"And soon, all magic in the realm will be mine! And not even these wretched preschoolers can stop me!" "she cackled, "Now, heed my orders, serpent."

"What do you command?"

"I need you to follow those brats to the School in the Sky, and eavesdrop their meeting with the schoolmaster. If you don't find anything useful from their lips, then infiltrate into the building after they leave." she commanded.

"Yes, Maligna," Cyrus said. And with that, he tightened his bowtie and slithered out the door. Maligna gazed into her crystal ball one last time.

 _"Soon you will see, children._ _Even in paradise Dragonland, nothing can stop the forces of evil from brewing."_


	3. Chapter 2: The Sorceress and the Scepter

**Chapter 2: Tale of the Sorceress and the Scepter...**

It was a long flight, but the children finally reached the School in the Sky (Wheezie had also discarded her 'knightly" gear by then, much to Zak's relief). Landing at the doorstep, Cassie was the first to knock.

" _¿Quién es?_ Who is it?" came the reply. It was certainly Quetzal, but he sounded a little...on edge.

"It's us, Quetzal," said Cassie.

The door opened a crack, and an aging dragon's yellow face gazed out. He bore a worried expression that the kids have only rarely seen, it was the face he makes when something is terribly wrong.

" _Dios mío,_ it's good to see you! Come inside, quickly!"

With that, the children hurried into the building, just as Quetzal began locking all doors and bolting the windows. The kids have never seen him like this before. Whatever he saw must've spooked him greatly, and Quetzal almost _never_ gets spooked.

"Uh, Quetzal, what's going on?" asked Emmy

"Just a moment, _niño_ "

He finished bolting the last window, and then turned out all lights (which frightened Ord for a moment). Then a pair of candles were lit, revealing Quetzal sitting in front of the carpet normally used for Circle Time. "Gather around, please," he said.

The children gathered on the carpet in a circle.

"So," everyone asked at the same time, "What's going on?"

"Dear amigos," began Quetzal, "I went into the forest of darkness yesterday to gather a few moonstones, so I saw precisely what happened that made the forest decay so suddenly..."

* * *

Cyrus had, as Maligna instructed, reached the schoolhouse at the same time that Max, Emmy, and their dragon friends had been rushed inside. He had hid in the bushes so no one could notice him, but apparently the Schoolmaster wasn't taking any chances. What with him bolting the doors & windows and all.

"They're sealing the building," Cyrus said to himself, "How could I listen to anything they say? Let alone get inside...wait!"

He could hear some muffled words coming from a section of the building. Creeping up to it, he found what he was looking for: _a ventilation panel!_ The one thing they couldn't seal closed all the way!

 _Jackpot!_ he thought. Taking a seat next to the vent, he listened intently as Quetzal told the little brats about an encounter he had with Maligna at half-moon rock (something Cyrus was not present for, but the sorceress had mentioned it later on) and how Quetzal had frantically sent messages to all four corners of Dragonland when Maligna drained the magic of the forest before the schoolmaster's eyes...

* * *

"...That's when I sent for you," Quetzal finished, "so you would know as well."

The kids were astounded by the story, but one question lingered. "Wait a minute," said Zak, "We don't even know who this Maligna character is!"

"Who is she?" asked Cassie, "And why would she take away a forest's magic?"

"Good question, Cassie," said Quetzal, who sprinkled magic dust upon a storybook that showed a younger version of Maligna surrounded by animals in the forest.

"Long ago, there was a young moon elf named Maligna. Her birth family went missing when she was two years old, so she was taken care of by woodland animals."

The magic dust shifted the image in the storybook into a picture of a small group of dragons finding Maligna.

"At age five, she was found by a dragon family who took her in as one of their own. They quickly found out that not only was Maligna smart for her age, she had an incredible magic prowess. For example, she could fly without wings, and she could breath fire like she was a real dragon."

"Whoa..." went everyone.

"These were only a few of the abilities Maligna had as a child. She had many more mystical powers few her age could master, so at age eight, she was sent to one of our finest magic schools."

The storybook projection changed to an image of the sorceress dazzling a classroom full of dragons with her magic talents.

"She quickly gained a reputation for being more powerful than the headmaster, and grew to become the best in her class. Or, as is the proper term, the _valedictorian."_ Everyone when 'Ooh' at this.

"She usually performed magic shows to demonstrate her abilities," he continued, "mystifying audiences with her mysterious powers and cementing herself as a virtual legend among her peers.

"Finally, the school's headmaster made Maligna his personal protégé, and began undertaking missions for him throughout Dragonland. Her tasks usually involved solving friendship problems and lending a hand whenever someone with incredible magic was needed."

Quetzal changed the image once again. This time, it showed Maligna skulking bitterly within her quarters.

"But there was a problem, and now it began to show: Maligna secretly loathed the way Dragonland was run. She considered our rules and laws too simplistic, labeled our virtue of peace as _wishy-washy,_ and deemed us all children who never grew up."

The storybook image now showed Maligna standing before some royal dragons.

"One day, she attempted to convince our rulers to give her the throne, so she could make Dragonland into a more 'honest' kingdom. They sensed the darkness in her heart, and feared that having her as queen would result in our way of life never being the same. Thus, they turned her down without question. Maligna was so furious that she did what nobody in Dragonland has ever done before..."

Now, the image showed Maligna pouring over spell books in vault, a red gleam in her eyes.

"...She broke into the forbidden vault of dark magic, and taught herself several illegal spells. Including one that allowed her to absorb the magic of any living creature. This act is what finally corrupted Maligna and warped her mind.

The next image showed Maligna scheming within an evil-looking throne room.

"Fleeing to her secret lair before anyone could stop her, she was now obsessed with only one goal: to remake Dragonland into a twisted nightmare that fits her image. With this new mindset, Maligna drained enough magic to rival our greatest wizard, and hypnotized several dragons into joining her wicked cause. Then when that wasn't enough, she recruited several banished races, such as the hobgoblins and the kobolds, to fill out her remaining ranks."

The image now showed Maligna overlooking her minions leading several dragons away in chains.

"Thus, Maligna began her invasion upon the realm. She attacked many smaller villages, putting more dragons under her spell and enslaving the rest. It was the one time in history that Dragonland had ever faced a serious threat."

Everyone was certainly scared now, especially Ord and Max.

"How did they stop her?" Ord blurted out.

"Yeah!" said Max, "There had to be something that they could do!"

"There was indeed a way, Max," Quetzal confirmed, sprinkling more magic dust upon the storybook.

"Exactly one month into Maligna's invasion, a small group of dragons lead by the legendary Prince Griffin rose up to defeat the evil sorceress. They were aided by two children from the real world. A brother and sister who had obtained an enchanted dragon scale, just like Max and Emmy.

"Together, they forged a powerful wand they called the 'Scepter of Chivalry,' an ancient relic that had the ability to defeat evil by chanting these words:

 _"Darkness be vanquished and light ascending, let the bonds of friendship ring!"_

"With the scepter as their ray of hope, Prince Griffin and his friends defeated the wicked army, freed all the enslaved dragons from mind control, and took back the magic that Maligna had absorbed."

Everyone let out a cheer at this.

"As punishment for her crimes," Quetzal continued, "The group used the scepter's power to imprison the dark sorceress within a magical crystal sarcophagus, which was hidden in a place where no one would ever find it.

"Finally, since the scepter was also capable of evil if it fell into the wrong hands, Prince Griffin shattered it and hid its fragments in four mystic shrines throughout the Dragonland."

* * *

Quetzal closed the storybook, and looked upon the childrens' awestruck expressions.

"Someone must've found Maligna's coffin and set her free for some reason," said Emmy, "But who would turn loose someone like her?"

"I don't know, Emmy," said Cassie, "but if she's back, then the only thing that can stop her is..."

That's when it hit everyone's minds.

"The Scepter of Chivalry!" they all shouted

"Exactly, _niños,"_ said Quetzal, "Legend has it that if Maligna were to ever return, the scepter must be reassembled in order to defeat her."

"We need to find someone to get the pieces!" exclaimed Max.

"Definitely," agreed Emmy, "but...who would be willing to go on an adventure like this?"

Everybody turned towards Quetzal, who had a look of worried thoughtfulness on his face (he was even sweating a little). _Whatever he had in mind must not be something we'd want to hear,_ thought Emmy.

"Uh...what do _you_ have in mind, Quetzal?" asked Zak, "You look as if you're about to send...Oh no!"

The schoolmaster's face lowered in shame. " _Ci,_ Zak _._ I do wish there was another way, but after some hard contemplation, it seems that the only ones who can undertake this quest..." He gestured towards the kids and their dragons as he finished.

"...is you."

The gasp of shock could be heard from miles around.


	4. Chapter 3: The Quest Begins

**Chapter 3: The Quest Begins...**

"Us?" exclaimed Cassie, "You want us to go on this quest?!"

"I'm afraid so," confirmed Quetzal, shamefully.

Everyone looked at the schoolmaster dragon as if he'd just done something unspeakable. A group of young children on a quest to stop an evil sorceress? They all had mixed feelings about this, and more than one person in the room was reluctant. "But why us?" asked Max, "We're not heroes, we're just kids!"

"Definitely!" agreed Emmy.

Ord began to turn invisible with mild fright, "What if that witch sends big, scary monsters to stop us? What would we do, then?!"

"Yeah! And what if we fail?" said Zak, "What if _she_ gets the scepter before we do?"

" _Niños,_ please let me explain," responded Quetzal, who sprinkled more magic dust upon the storybook.

* * *

" _When Prince Griffin and his friends locked away the scepter fragments in the four shrines, they built a series of trials at each location as a failsafe to prevent anyone nasty from obtaining the power within. A prophecy explains that to reassemble the Scepter of Chivalry, only a special group with the same magic that the original wielders had would be able to pass these trials, and prove worthy of the wand's might._

" _You see, aside from the dragon prince himself, the classic group consisted of a dragon girl that was his true love, and there was also a two-headed dragon quite similar to Zak & Wheezie in personality. And finally, as I said before, they were aided by a young brother and sister from the world that Max and Emmy came from. _

" _My point, niños, is that you fit the original group's description down to the last character..."_

* * *

"...and that is why you must be the ones to take on this adventure," explained the schoolmaster, "Over the last two years I've seen each of you grow, overcoming challenges and solving many a problem that has befallen you. I know it's much to ask, _amigos_ , but you are the only ones I know of, that WE know of, that can save our beloved realm."

Hearing these words left the kids in deep thought. It certainly was a lot to ask a group of children to do, but they contemplated his words carefully. Yes, they had conquered many challenges they'd faced (and they always did it together), but they were usually all related to growing up. You know, friendship problems, social skills, resolving arguments, and the like.

Still, if Quetzal says they fit into a prophecy's readings, it must be for a good reason. He always has a good reason for most things, after all.

The children huddled for a moment, trying to decide on whether or not this quest was going to be worth it. After a moment of whispering to each other, they turned back towards the Schoolmaster.

"Okay, Quetzal," said Emmy, speaking first, "If you really believe that we can do this, then we'll do it."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Emmy's right," agreed Cassie, "This isn't only about us, it's about all of Dragonland."

"And what if Maligna tries to take over OUR world, too?" asked Max, "We gotta do something!"

"No matter how scary things may get," chimed in Ord, "we'll do this together."

"LOOOOVE it! Everyone, join hands!" cheered Wheezie.

The group grabbed each other's hands, and stood in a circle. They counted to three, and then all cheered,

" _Saviors of Dragonland!"_

Raising their linked hands high on the last word, they were ready.

"Excellent. Now then, here's what you must do," said Quetzal, laying out a map of Dragonland with red circles drawn in marker around certain areas.

"Ord and Max, you shall travel to Snowy Summit, where the scepter's handle of ice is hidden within the icicle caverns below the mountain,

"Cassie and Emmy, you shall travel to Rainbow Canyon, where the scepter's rainbow-crossguard is located at the end of a hidden passage within the canyon's walls,

"And Zak and Wheezie, you shall travel to the Dandelion forest, where the scepter's golden dragon-mouth is sealed in an underground temple whose door is located at the very center of the forest itself."

He gave each duo a mini-map to the three locations while laying them out. Then, he gave them all identical maps to Crystal Cave.

"Once you've obtained these pieces, gather at Crystal Cave," finished Quetzal, "Here is where Max and Emmy shall take the last test to obtain the Arcane Orb, the scepter's final fragment and the focus for its power. Only then can the scepter be remade.

"After that, Maligna awaits."

The dragons rolled up the maps they were given, and stuffed them in their pouches. They all spoke words of agreement with each other, ready to save the realm. But one question remained...

"Wait, what should we tell our parents?" asked Zak.

Everyone went silent for a moment...

"I believe, _niños,_ that you should tell them together," suggested Quetzal after a moment, "Don't worry, I'll be with you if you have trouble convincing them to let you go."

"Well then, what are we waiting for?" said Emmy, "Let's go!"

* * *

Cyrus had been listening to the conversation from start to finish. Through the vent panel, he heard everything. From Maligna's backstory all the way up to the details of the impending adventure. The slinky serpent was grinning ear to ear at this point.

Just then, the front door was unlocked and opened wide. Cyrus (who's position was just ten feet from the doorway) dove into the bushes as fast as he could. Peeking out, he could see the gang exit the building with Quetzal in the lead.

"After we tell each of your families," said the schoolmaster, "I shall see you off at mushroom meadow. It's the best place to take off from, after all. And remember..."

Quetzal had the children huddle close to his mouth. Had Cyrus possessed keener hearing, he would've heard him mutter a whisper to the whole group,

" _The rhyme is the answer."_

With that, the human kids leaped upon the backs of their respective dragons, and they all flew off into the horizon.

After a few seconds, Cyrus was certain the coast was clear for the time. "I must tell Maligna at once," he said to himself. He stepped into the woods next to the school building, and pulled out a special locket that the sorceress had given him. He opened it.

A green mist arose from the item, which began to sparkle with magic dust. Then a pale white face appeared within the mist...the face of Maligna herself.

"This better be good," she said.

"Indeed, it is," confirmed Cyrus, "I have discovered how exactly the dragons plan to bring you down!"

"Excellent! Tell me everything, and leave nothing out."

And that's exactly what he did. He relayed everything he had heard, from the scepter fragments' locations, to the fact that the kids were to retrieve them. Maligna chuckled evilly when Cyrus finished his story.

"How much more simple-minded can those fools be?" she said, "sending mere children on such a grand adventure. No matter; we shall take the fragments before they do."

"Yes, and... wait, what?"

"Your heard me, slinky serpent," commanded Maligna, "Follow those fools to the scepter fragments, then swipe them from under their noses and bring them to me. If we can obtain _one_ piece of the Scepter of Chivalry, those brats shall not stand a chance against us.

"Prevail, and I shall help you get back at them for all the times they've foiled you. But if you fail..."

Her grin widened evilly, showing off abnormally sharp teeth. Cyrus shuddered, "G _ulp,_ never fear, your vileness. I won't fail," he said.

"Good. Now _AFTER THEM, YOU IMBICILE!"_ she screeched, her magical projection dissipating with a thunderclap.

Needless to say, Cyrus took off like a rocket in the direction of mushroom meadow. What did he get himself into?

* * *

It was indeed hard on the parents when they found out about the adventure their kids were going on. Ord's mom especially attempted to forbid her son from getting into this kind of danger.

But after hearing about the prophecy and some heavy reassurance on the young ones' part, they all tearfully agreed to let them go on the condition that Max and Emmy were responsible for their fates. "Please don't let anything happen to my daughter," Cassie's mother sternly told Emmy, "or you will be in trouble with myself and all 72 of my other kids!"

Thus, we come to mushroom meadow, where everyone was getting into their groups as planned. Emmy was paired with Cassie, Ord was with Max, and Zak & Wheezie were...paired with each other, of course (not like they had much of a choice, since they shared the same body). Quetzal was also there to bid them good luck and farewell, like he said he would.

Cyrus, meanwhile, was hidden among the mushrooms waiting for the last group to leave.

First up was Max and Ord. They were bundled up in winter clothes that Ord pulled from his pouch (he mixed up the hats at one point, though). "Okay, little buddy," said Ord, "Let's go to Snowy Summit!"

"Yeah! Hey, maybe we'll see Chilly and Nippy while we're there," said Max.

With that, the big, blue dragon took off to the north with the little boy on his back.

Next to take off was Zak & Wheezie. "Next stop, Dandelion Forest!" exclaimed Wheezie, who rocketed them both into the sky at record speed.

"WHOA!" moaned Zak in discomfort, "Take it easy, Wheezie!"

The two-headed dragon disappeared from view in no time.

Finally, there was Cassie and Emmy. "Are you ready, Cassie," asked Emmy, who was trying to comfort her nervous friend.

"Um...I guess so," said Cassie, "I've never had to help save the world before, so I'm a little...scared."

"I know," assured Emmy, "But I did promise your mom that I'll bring you home safely, and I'm going to keep that promise no matter what."

"Thanks, Emmy," Cassie said, hugging her best friend, "Now let's go."

With that, the little girl got on the pink dragon's back, and they took off towards rainbow canyon.

It was this duo that Cyrus decided to follow. These were the ones that had the biggest part in ruining his egg-hunts after all. So, he started off on his own path to rainbow canyon.

" _Adios, amigos,"_ called Quetzal (not noticing Cyrus leaving after the group). He flew back to the School in the Sky after everyone else had taken off.

Thus, the kids' greatest adventure has begun...


End file.
